STOW YOUTH BASEBALL LEAGUE INC.
GENERAL RULES FOR FALL - H, G, and F LEAGUE
Revised for the fall season of 2016
Rules apply to games from 8/1/16 to 10/31/16 (revised 7/30/16)

Section I – General Rules

1. It is the primary objective of this organization to provide the boys and girls of the Stow-Munroe Falls School District and other communities with an organized adult-supervised program that stresses sportsmanship, complete cooperation, and a chance to learn baseball according to Major League Baseball Rules, except as modified by the Stow Youth Baseball League Incorporated.

1A. Players and Umpires shall conduct themselves at all times so as to be a credit to the league. Any member of the Board, Manager, Coach, Player or Umpire accused of using profane or foul language, being abusive, or acting in such a
manner as to be detrimental to the League, may be dismissed from their position if found guilty by the Executive Board.

2. All members of the Board, Managers, and Coaches are members of Stow Youth Baseball.

3. A receipt shall be required in the transfer of all money.

4. Umpires will be supplied by Stow Youth Baseball or Summit Umpires.

5. All managers shall carefully check birth dates of all players assigned to their teams. If the player is in the wrong age bracket, his name shall be turned into the League, who in turn will assign the player to a team according to his age. PENALTY: Forfeiture of all games in which the player has participated.

6. Any player who voluntarily withdraws from the Stow Youth Baseball League will forfeit the registration fee, unless an exception is cited by the Board. This request for refund must be submitted in writing to the Board.

7. No player may be registered at the fields by managers or coaches. If a player missed the annual registration, he may request late registration and will be registered only if openings exist. All registered players must have their birth certificates verified with the League. A late fee may be accessed for late registrations.

8. Managers must submit their completed rosters to the League VP at the scheduled managers’ meeting. PENALTY: Forfeit of all scheduled games until the roster is turned in.

9. No infield or batting practice is allowed on the lined fields before game times -- Use the outfield or infield-foul areas on 1st and 3rd baseline.

10 Once a game begins (the first pitch is thrown), no infield or outfield practice will be allowed between innings by either team. A pitcher gets 5 (five) warm pitches each inning.

11. There will be round-robin batting in all leagues.

12. There will be free substitutions, except for pitchers, as noted in specific league rules.

13. STOW YOUTH BASEBALL DESIGNATED FALL LEAGUES:

Age is determined on April 30th of playing year:
H League - 9 or 10 years old on April 30th.
G League - 11 or 12 years old on April 30th.
F League - 13 or 14 years old on April 30th.

15. The use of tobacco products during games/practices is prohibited for managers, coaches, umps, and players.

Any managers, coaches, umpires, or players appearing either for practice or at a game under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be automatically suspended or dismissed. {2016 revision}

Section II – General League Rules

1. Major League Baseball Rules shall govern all play, except when superseded by the Stow Youth Baseball League rules or field ground rules.

2. Deleted.

3. Once a game has started, the home plate umpire is in complete charge of the game. No player, spectator, manager, or coach shall yell at or heckle an umpire. Managers will stress this point to their players and parents. Any abusive language by a player, spectator, manager, or coach directed at the umpire or opposing players shall be called to the attention of the managers. The managers shall ask them to refrain from the use of abusive language. If this is not followed, the umpire may eject the managers, and secondly call a forfeit. No one is allowed to stand/sit behind the backstop.

4. No protest on an umpire’s judgment call will be considered.

5. A coach may not change coaching boxes in any one inning. Excessive or unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated. The umpire shall give one warning, and if it persists, the umpire shall eject the individual or call a forfeit.

6. No coach, spectator, manager, or player will be permitted to yell at or distract a player on the opposing team. The umpire shall give one warning, and if it persists, the umpire may call a forfeit.

a. Team cheering shall be permitted as long as it is in a sportsmanlike manner and not directed at the opposing team. Discipline – warning, ejection, forfeit, if ejected the manager must umpire one game or be suspended for a game.

7. All players must wear full protective headgear while batting, running bases, and catching. If during a live ball situation, the headgear is intentionally removed while running bases or after scoring, but before leaving the field of play, the runner is out.
Any player warming up a pitcher must wear a mask.

8. There is a 15-minute grace period from the scheduled game start time (see your respective league’s schedule). Each team should be allowed equal warm-up time, up to 15 minutes, with home team going first, to insure the game starts at scheduled time. No team warm-ups after scheduled game time. There is a 2-hour game time limit: No new inning shall start after 2 hours of play.Play ends after the third out is recorded at the end of the inning.If there is a tie, the Stow Shoot-Out rules will apply (see rule #9 for explanation).

9. Stow Shoot-Out tiebreaker rule: At the beginning of each ½ inning, a runner will start on 2nd base; the runner will be the person who made the last out of the previous inning. Each batter will begin with a count of 3 balls and 2 strikes. If the visiting team scores in the top half of the inning, the home team does bat in the bottom half of the inning. The game continues each inning until a winner is declared. If game is called because of darkness with score still tied, a tie will be called – the game will not continue at a later date.

10. Deleted.

11. In the event of thunder, rain, darkness, or any other situation affects game safety or field conditions, the home plate umpire has the final authority to stop the game. Players should be removed to a safe place until weather improves. After a 20-minute interval, the umpire shall decide whether to continue or officially stop the game. In the event the conditions stop the game (such as rain, darkness, light failure, etc.), an official game is 5 innings (4 ½ if home team ahead). If lightning is visible at any time during a game by the umpire, play stops immediately and the above rules apply as with any other weather condition. Speed up rules must be enforced.

12. The Executive Board shall have the final authority to rule in all matters.

13. A team shall become the responsibility of the manager fifteen (15) minutes before the game and shall remain his responsibility for fifteen (15) minutes after the game completion, for its conduct on and off the field. He shall be relieved of this responsibility when the parents take the youth from the field. A manager shall not leave until all players are picked up.

14. All rainout games will be played the following Sunday, or as can be scheduled during the 1st 4 weeks of the season. During the last 2 weeks of the season, there will be additional weekends needed to make up the rainout games, but no makeup games will be played after October 18th.

15. Managers and Coaches shall be properly attired at all games. No cut-offs or sleeveless shirts allowed. Any one in violation will be ejected from the game until properly attired.

16. Any person ejected from the game must remain out of sight and earshot of the umpire and the playing ball field, including managers and coaches and players.

In the event of a manager/coach ejection during a game, the manager/coach will sit out the next scheduled league game. This means that the manager/coach must not be present at the playing field as a coach or SPECTATOR. If the manager/coach is on the playing field during his suspension, the umpire will stop play until he leaves, or else call a forfeit.

If a player is ejected, then that spot in the batting order becomes an automatic out every time the ejected player is scheduled to bat for the remainder of that game.

17. In the baseball leagues, it is MANDATORY that all boys wear athletic supporters.

18. All catchers must wear protective headgear, cup, throat guards, and proper catching equipment. PENALTY: Cannot play in the game as a catcher.

19. The winning or tie manager must call or email the game score within 24 hours after the game (see your league schedule for the name, phone number, and email address of the person to contact). If this is not done, a double forfeit will be called and each team will show a loss for the game.

20. In the event of a league tie for the first place there will be a one game play-off with the winner receiving 1st place trophies and the loser 2nd place trophies. The site and play-off date to be determined by the Executive Vice-President of Stow Youth Baseball.

21. In the event for a tie for 2nd place, there will be a one game play-off and the winner will be given 2nd place trophies.

22. All protests must be completed on the SYB protest form provided on the SYB website and must be submitted to the League in writing along with a protest fee of $25.00 no later than 24 hours from the time of the protest. Protest fees shall be retained unless the protest committee upholds the protest. The umpire must be made aware of the protest at the time of the incident, before the next pitch, and it must be noted in the home team’s scorebook.

23. Player must slide or give up if there is a play at any base (at the umpires discretion), except first.

24. A team must have eight players to start and finish a game. If unable to field eight players a forfeit will be called.

25. Field setup for all games shall be the responsibility of both managers and teams in the event that the field has not been set up by SYB prior to the game.

26. In the event of any game that cannot be completed within the 2-hour time limit allotted due to weather, the game will be picked up where it left off and also the time limit will continue from that point until it is reached. The umpire must note in the
home team’s scorebook the time the game is stopped, the amount of time remaining to be played to reach the allotted time limit, the inning, what team was up to bat and what player.

BOYS PROTEST COMMITTEE

1. Umpire in Chief
2. League President
3. Boys Executive VP

Section III - SPEED UP RULE:

Catcher: When the catcher is on base or reaches a base with 2 outs, it is requested the catcher be replaced by the player who made the last out. The catcher speed up rule will not be in affect during the last inning. The catcher speed up rule will be enforced if the game requires extra innings.

Pitcher: A pitcher will be allowed a maximum of 5 warm up pitches; it will be the manager’s responsibility to have his pitcher warm up in between innings in a safe and out of play area. A pitcher replacing a pitcher that has been removed from the mound during an inning shall be given (at umpire’s discretion) adequate time to warm up. When the pitcher is on base or reaches base with 2 outs, a manager has the option of replacing the pitcher with the person whom made the last out.

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MANAGER TO HAVE THE REPLACEMENT RUNNER READY.Section IV – H League Rules:

1. NO metal baseball spikes are allowed in H league games. Chin straps are NOT required.

2. Baseball bat restrictions:

Baseball bats that are 2 3/4 of an inch maximum diameter and difference between weight (in ounces) and length (in inches) cannot be greater than eleven (11). (E.g. 31” bat must weigh at least 20 ounces).

4. A pitcher may pitch only 8 innings in any 60-hour period, including all practice games or rainouts. The 60-hour period will be from game time to the next scheduled game time.

5. A pitcher shall not pitch more than Three (3) {2016 revision} innings in one calendar day. One pitch to one out is 1/3 of an inning. 2nd out is 2/3 of an inning.

6. Seven innings shall constitute a regulation game.

7. Mercy Rule: If one team is leading by 15 or more runs after 4 innings, or 10 or more runs after 5 innings, the game shall be ended. The home team bats in bottom of the inning unless the home team is ahead.

8. Run Limit - There is an 8 runs per half-inning limit, except for the final inning and any extra innings (unlimited runs).

10. The hidden ball trick is not allowed. PENALTY: Balk – no warning will be given.

11. A dropped third strike is an OUT. Runners may advance at their own risk.

12. There will be no lead-offs.

13. There will be no stealing until the baseball crosses home plate. No advancement of runners on throw back from catcher to pitcher, unless in the umpires opinion the play has not ended. {2016 revision}

14. The manager may take one trip to the pitching mound per inning for each pitcher used, provided that it is not done for the purpose of delaying the game. A second trip to the same pitcher in the same inning will cause the pitcher’s automatic removal as a pitcher for the remainder of the game and shall not, under any circumstances, return to the mound as a pitcher. A third trip to the same pitcher in the same game is automatic removal of the of the pitcher as a pitcher. Trips by the coach also count as if he were the manager.

15. A defensive player shall not fake a tag on a runner without the ball. PENALTY: Ejection.

16. A runner cannot deliberately crash into a defensive player who has clear possession of the ball to make a tag. The runner cannot use a forearm block, or block of any type. Runner can slide hard. PENALTY: Runner is out and ejected from game at the umpires’ discretion.

17. A runner does not have to slide if no play is imminent.

18. A pitcher will be removed if he hits 3 batters in one inning, or hits a total of 4 during a game.

19. A maximum of nine (9) players will be allowed on the field (defense) at any one time. There are no restrictions as to the playing positions.

20. Violations of any of the above rules shall be subject to forfeiture of game.

Section V - G League Rules:

1. NO metal baseball spikes are allowed in G league games. Chin straps are NOT required.

4. A pitcher may pitch 8 innings in any 60-hour period, including all practice games or rainouts. The 60-hour period will be from game time to the next scheduled game time.

5. A pitcher shall not pitch more than four (4) innings in one calendar day. One pitch to one out is 1/3 of an inning. 2nd out is 2/3 of an inning.

6. Seven innings shall constitute a regulation game.

7. Mercy Rule: If one team is leading by 15 or more runs after 4 innings, or 10 or more runs after 5 innings, the game shall be ended. The home team bats in bottom of the inning unless the home team is ahead.

8. A manager or coach may take one trip to the pitching mound per inning for each pitcher used, provided that it is not done for the purpose of delaying the game, a second trip to the same pitcher in the same inning will cause this pitcher’s automatic
removal as a pitcher for the remainder of the game and shall not, under any circumstances, return to the mound as a pitcher. A third trip to the same pitcher in the same game is automatic removal of the pitcher as a pitcher. Trips by the coach also count as if he were the manager.

9. The hidden ball trick is not allowed. PENALTY: Balk – no warning will be given.

10. A defensive player shall not fake a tag on a runner without the ball. PENALTY: Ejection.

11. A runner cannot deliberately crash into a defensive player who has clear possession of the ball to make a tag. The runner cannot use a forearm block, or block of any type. Runner can slide hard. PENALTY: Runner out and ejected from game, at umpire’s discretion.

12. A runner does not have to slide if no play is imminent.

13. A pitcher will be removed if he hits 3 batters in one inning, or hits a total of 4 during a game.

14. Balk Warning - One balk warning will be issued per pitcher. For subsequent balks runners will advance.

4. A pitcher may pitch 10 innings in any 60-hour period, including all practice games or rainouts. The 60-hour period will be from game time to the next scheduled game time.

5. A pitcher shall not pitch more than four (4) innings in one calendar day. One pitch to one out is 1/3 of an inning. 2nd out is 2/3 of an inning.

6. The hidden ball trick is not allowed. PENALTY: Balk – no warning will be given.

7. In the event of disciplinary action by an umpire resulting in a player being dismissed from a game, no forfeit can occur. Another player may be put into the game, however, must have 8 players on the field or a forfeit will occur.

8. Seven innings shall constitute a regulation game.

9. Mercy Rule: If one team is leading by 15 or more runs after 4 innings, or 10 or more runs after 5 innings, the game shall be ended. The home team bats in bottom of the inning unless the home team is ahead.

10. The manager may take one trip to the pitching mound per inning used, provided that it is not done for the purpose of delaying the game. A second trip to the same pitcher in the same inning will cause this pitcher’s automatic removal as a pitcher for the remainder of the game and shall not, under any circumstances, return to the mound as a pitcher. Third trip in the game, to the same pitcher, is automatic removal of the pitcher as a pitcher. Trips by the coach also count as if he were the manager.

11. A defensive player shall not fake a tag on a runner without the ball. PENALTY: Ejection.

12. A runner cannot deliberately crash into a defensive player who has clear possession of the ball to make a tag. The runner cannot use a forearm block, or block of any type. Runner can slide hard. PENALTY: Runner out and ejected from game, at umpire’s discretion.

13. A runner does not have to slide if no play is imminent.

14. A pitcher will be removed if he hits 3 batters in one inning, or hits a total of 4 during a game.